Our relationship with food and self-care has a profound impact on our emotional well-being. And what happens on our plate can be almost as powerful as what happens on the chaise in the therapist’s office. Why? Because food isn’t just food; a meal isn’t just a meal.

Eating is more than just staving off hunger or ingesting calories and nutrients. Food has a lot to do with how we feel, who we believe we are, what we believe we’re worthy of. As we practice vulnerability, let’s think about how food can stifle or celebrate our inner growth.

Mind, body, soul… and spoon.

A wise woman once said, “You have to know that what doesn’t kill you strips you to the bone, grinds you up and makes you into soup. But from that soup you’re born again.”

You know we’re all about the healing, transformative power of soup — literally AND metaphorically. We firmly believe in the power of a bowlful of slow-cooked veggies and some time alone to savor each bite. Your body benefits from the increased absorption of nutrients from the hearty, soul-soothing ingredients we all strive to eat more of.

Reaffirm your worth with every bite

How can food help create positive space in your life, or daily habits that reaffirm your worth?

Maybe it means cooking dinner with your family or partner once a week.

Turning off your phone during your lunch break.

Reading poetry alone at a cafe on Saturday mornings.

Watering your window box of herbs and inhaling their fresh greenness.

However you decide to incorporate intentional vulnerability into your day-to-day is entirely up to you. The important part is nourishing your body with bright color, fresh flavor, stunning vibrance — this connection flows from chopping up veggies and swaying to music to sweating it out on a run and snuggling up next to a loved one.

Strengthening that mind, body, soul connection is key to knowing and loving yourself more.

Sources:

Jeff Gordinier, Mindful Eating as Food for Thought. The New York Times.

Julie Beck, Our Moods, Our Food. The Atlantic.

J.W. Anderson et al, Health benefits and practical aspects of high-fiber diets. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Lilian Cheung: “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life.” Harvard School of Public Health.